The grudges we bear

I missed last night's Nats game, but nearly fell off my chair when I got the post-game e-mail announcing the final score of 13-0, in favor of the hated Atlanta Braves.

I've probably mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: I've hated the Braves with a passion ever since they defeated the Pirates in the 1991 National League Playoffs. That was the first time I'd ever heard the tomahawk chop, and not only did it grow old fast, but I knew instantly that it was a rip-off from the Florida State Seminoles. Yet growing up, I almost couldn't escape the Braves, because they were aired on TBS damn near every night! And the fact that they went to the World Series nearly each year for the next several years got old fast, too.

So suffice it to say, anytime the Nats lose to the Braves, it stings a little more than customary.